1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an inflatable display apparatus having a plurality of inflatable structural members and at least one display panel or three-dimensional inflatable display. When used in a marine environment, the display apparatus comprises a ballast system including at least one elongate ballast mounted to a bottom surface thereof to provide stability and guidance while floating on a water surface.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Outdoor billboard and advertising installations are well known. For many years, billboards have been installed along the nation's highways and have served as useful tool for reaching driving audiences. Advertising installations such as electric signs are commonly used by vendors to attract customers and provide notice of events. Billboards and advertising installations are also frequently used at local events and attractions such as fairs, festivals, retail establishments and sporting events.
Another type of outdoor advertising is the use of portable billboards or banners carried by planes, automobiles and blimps. For example, it is well known to fly airplanes or blimps carrying banners or graphic presentations that promote local events, services or products above crowds gathered at sporting events, parks and city streets. Moreover, it is also common to employ a truck or van to transport a billboard display in crowded cities and towns advertising a new product, event or service.
Heretofore, there has been no successful portable outdoor advertising scheme employed for a marine environment such as those directed to crowds along waterfronts or coastlines. It is thus highly desirable to provide a display apparatus capable of providing an advertising scheme capable of reaching crowded beaches or parks located along a waterfront or coastline.
An increasing problem is being encountered pertaining to laws and local ordinances prohibiting, limiting or requiring licensing of billboards and other forms of outdoor advertising. Often these regulations relate to the degree of permanency of advertising matter, being more stringent the more permanent the advertising installation becomes. Regulations vary from outright bans on billboards along interstate highways, waterfronts, and coastlines to restrictions on sign styles and size above a business establishment.
Advertisement of alcohol and tobacco products is severely limited through radio and television, and modes of outdoor advertising of the types discussed above are frequently used instead. Nonetheless, many localities place restrictions or even outright bans on advertising of alcohol and tobacco on beaches, and accordingly, it is difficult to reach crowds of beachgoers with alcohol and tobacco advertising. Moreover, advertisers in general have very few outlets to reach beach crowds and are typically limited to trash can ads, bus benches, parking lot fliers or airplanes. It will be noted, however, that offshore areas a certain distance from the shore are often exempt from local ordinances since such waters are outside the jurisdiction of these localities. Accordingly, crowds of beachgoers can be reached with advertising if such advertising is located a distance from shore.
To overcome many of the impediments of known modes of advertising, it has been proposed to provide an advertising display apparatus that can reach crowds along a waterfront or coastline while complying with local ordinances or capable of displaying advertisements a distance from a waterfront or coastline outside of such local jurisdictions. Moreover, it is desirable to provide a display apparatus of simple construction that is versatile in that it may be used in both marine environments and on dry ground, and further may be easily adaptable to include different advertising displays.